F RO M TH E PRESIDENT S DESK

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1 Red River Classic Mustang Club THE PONY EXPRESS Febr uar y Board of Directors President Thomas Monahan Vice President Mark Winderweedle Secretary/Newsletter Lane Butler lane.butler@centerpointenergy.com Treasurer Vickie Doss Ext. 111 Show Director Erin Frostic rrcmc.showdirector@yahoo.com Activity Director Nicole Ferlito Internet Director Tommy Gayer tgdg@bellsouth.net Members at Large Gene Brock brockssuperior@gmail.com Jonathan Oliver MCA National Director Donna Arends Red River Classic Mustang Club P.O. Box Shreveport, LA F RO M TH E PRESIDENT S DESK 2012 definitely started off on the right foot with a big win for the Mustang Club, winning best club display at the World of Wheels show in January. If you weren t able to get to the show, the theme for the display was Mustang survives the end of the world. The Mayan Calendar ends this year, signaling the end of the world, so our centerpiece of the display was a Mayan pyramid measuring roughly 18 feet square at the base and 12 feet tall, complete with red strobes flashing on the sides and a bright eerie red light blinking from the doors at the top. We had 4 cars on each side for a total of 8 cars in our display. People would walk in the doorway right in front of the pyramid, and look up to the top as their jaws dropped open. When we brought in the first car trailer load of parts Wednesday evening, all eyes were on the Mustang Club trying to figure out what in the world all that stuff was. Once we got it all put together on Thursday morning, Tim Smith from Mopar asked me if we were still mad about them winning last year. One thing I have to say about our comrades at Mopar, they do have a sense of humor, and like us, understand this is all about fun and having a good time. I would like to thank Gene Brock, Mark Winderweedle and Lane Butler who came up with the display idea and spent the time and labor to build it. Special thanks to Barbara Winderweedle who kept us all fed during the long weekends we spent out in Mark's Shop working on the display. We appreciate all the help from the Membership who came out when they could and helped work on the display as well. The display would not be complete without the cars that are in the display, and I want to recognize these folks who got their cars to the show on a weekday, and let us have them for 4 days during the show. Steve Risner's Roush 427R, Dr. Ted Warrens 71 Ranchero, and Darryl Reeds Shelby Cobra roadster. Special Thanks to Jean and Tom Hughes who put both their blue 2000 GT and their 2010 Dub edition cars in the display along with Mark and Bud Brady who put in their 68 fastback and 65 coupe as a father and son display. This year we also had to put 2 cars in the Car Club council display, and Terry and Kay Stratton came thru for us with their 65 K Code coupe, and their 64 Falcon Convertible. Lastly, Martin Philyaw was to have his Boss 302 Laguna Secca Mustang in the display, but he lost his mother just before the show and was unable to get the car to us. Amazingly, Matthew Jones was able to get his 03 Terminator Cobra to the show in 2 hours to take Martin's place and complete the display. Our sympathies and prayers go out to Martin Philyaw and his family at this time of sorrow, and we hope he and his are doing well. Kudos to all Club members who came out in force and provided the labor to run the show. We had a few hiccups along the way, but as always, the membership pulled together and got the job done. There were some changes this year that I was unaware of, but with the help of a few understanding club members, we were able to head off disaster and take on the job at hand. Next year we will be ready for whatever may come our way. Pat yourselves on the back Red River Classic Mustang Club, you pulled off another great show, and made for our charities in the process. Sincerely, Thomas Monahan

2 Page 2 The Pony Express M C A N E W S What can I say? The trip to Phoenix was a trip of a life time. Once I got over of just seeing dirt and rocks for lawns, I got to business of enjoying the cars. I never saw so many different and beautiful cars in my life. Someone asked me if I was there to bid on a car and I just said "No, just here to drool". As you know at auctions, some that you thought would bid high didn't and those that you thought would bid low didn't. I saw a million plus dollar cars I'd never thought that I would ever see. It was an experience that I'll not be forgetting. For MCA, the new year started with reviewing budgets and contracts. Some have mentioned that the MCA website has changed considerably. That is because of the marketplace. The companies that you see in the marketplace are sponsors that offer the MCA members discounts on their products. They are going after companies such as Sears and other such companies that can offer things for your families as well as for your cars. They'll be changing all the time, so keep looking and you just might find a lot of reason to stay or become a member of the MCA. Still no word on the 50th yet. We now have 3 MCA members appointed to sit in on Ford's planning of the event. It was stressed to the person who is Ford's liaison that people need to know real soon so plans can be made. There is a group from Sweden who want to ship their cars over for it. How cool can that be? Donna Congratulations to Donna Arends on her election to the MCA National Board of Directors. Last week, the club was contacted by a local resident in need of Mustang help. He had begun restoring a 65 coupe, and in the process had pushed the car out of his garage and into the yard. The work was inadvertently put on hold when he had to have both hips replaced. Recently, a neighbor complained to the city about the abandoned car in the yard and they were threatening to tow it away. Thomas Monahan and his friend Phillip were coming to my house Saturday morning for a little car work, and Thomas suggested we go take a look. Right before we left, Tommy Gayer dropped by, and Thomas coaxed him into riding along. We found the house, and spent about half an hour cleaning out a spot in the garage and replacing the tires, then pushed the car out of the yard into safety. Just four car guys helping out another car guy in need. Editor P L E A S E S U P P O R T OUR C L U B S P O N S O R S

3 The Pony Express Page 3 U P C O M I N G ACTIVITIES Hey all you Mustang Fans, I want to start off saying Thank you so much for putting forth 110% at World of Wheels. You guys came together and pulled it off with a bang. Combined with our outstanding performance working the show and our Winning club display I would say the Mustang Club was a big hit. David commends our professional attitude every year at the show. We do an outstanding job and that is why we get invited back each and every year with the opportunity to earn $1,000 for our club to give back to the community. As the show came to an end I am already excited about 2013 and what the club will think of next for a display. Winning with the Mayan Pyramid has set us a level above the rest. Now we will be expected to work harder and be even more creative. I must say Gene Brock did an amazing job creating and heading up the Pyramid project. It was unbelievable. I have now crowned him Mister World of Wheels Club Display Designer. Remember to give him a pat on the back on his amazing creation. Here are some of the awards that were won at the show: Gold star custom convertible outstanding - Jean Hughes Gold star conservative hard top Outstanding - Terry Sratton, and Best - Mark Brady Gold star conservative hard top Best - Matthew Jones Gold star contemporary hard top 10-current Outstanding - Tom Hughes Gold star radical sports Best - Darryl Reed Gold star restored convertible Outstanding - Kay Stratton Gold star restored convertible Best - Tommy Gayer ISCA Conservative hard top Best - Steve Risner ISCA Contemporary hard top 10-current Best - Troy Watts ISCA Custom Pickup Best - Ted Warren ISCA Best Club Display Red River Classic Mustang Club with $500. cash prize Then the big three awards of the show: O'Reiley's pick: John Mickley 72 Plymouth Road Runner Waldon Award Best 1st time shown: Rich and Paige Udell 32 Ford Roadster People's Choice: Penny Weiss 55 T-Bird Now back to club news. Tonight we are going to cruise to our Annual Valentine's Day Dinner. Tomorrow we have a closed board meeting for board members only for the bylaw review. It will be held at 10:00 am in Vicki's home. Please ask her for directions if you need them. Otherwise rest up and get ready for Spring. Show season is almost here. Your activities director, Nicole Ferlito twomanystangs@yahoo.com Yearly dues were due January 1. Please fill out the membership form in this newsletter and return as soon as possible.

4 T h e Po n y E x p r e s s P age World of Wheels Custom Auto Show Another World Of Wheels has come and gone. It was great seeing everyone again and was fun even though it was a lot of work. My hat's off to Lane Butler who had a fantastic idea for our display and to Gene Brock who's carpentry knowledge and skills turned it into a reality. Our pyramid stood tall and proud. I want to thank all the members that helped set it up and did all the finishing touches under the direction of Vicki Doss. The grass, stones, snakes and rocks all added to the reality. Even though some folks didn't understand the theme or the irony the judges did and awarded our club the best display award and the cash for our charities. Another job well done by the Red River Classic Mustang Club. Makes me proud to be a member surrounded by so many talented people. Thank you Nicole Ferlito for keeping our club involved in the operation of the show and enabling us to make money for our charities. Looking forward to next year Tom Hughes

5 The Pony Express Page 5 February 2012 SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT Groundhog Day 2 Longview Cruise Night 4 Club Meeting. 5 PM, followed by Valentine Dinner 11 Krewe of Centaur Parade 14 Valentine s Day Krewe of Gemini Parade 19 Krewe of Highland Parade 15 RRCMC Board Reed Industrial, 6:30 PM March 2012 Where did that extra day come from???? SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT February Birthdays Timothy Brown Jacob Chavis Vickie Doss Cyndi Durr Fred Frostic Dustin McFadden Tookie Reed Bob Wolf 1 Longview Cruise night 3 Club Meeting. 5 PM, followed by Valentine Dinner 10 Red Bud Festival Rod Run Buna, Texas 17 St Patrick s Day 17 Red Bud Festival and Parade Vivian, LA 21 RRCMC Board Reed Industrial, 6:30 PM Texas Cobra Club Spring Meet, San Marcos, TX

6 Page 6 The Pony Express L AG N IAPPE Cruise Control is not Cruise Control, is not Cruise Control By Mark Winderweedle, RRCMC VP 2012 We have all done it. Been part of one of our cruises where the leader sets their cruise control on a given speed and it seems like they are going way too fast or too slow when we set our cruise control at the same speed. We follow along and after a few minutes, we have to increase or decrease our speed to keep pace. We are constantly adjusting our speed trying to match the speed of the rest of the group. Well, let s look at some of the physics behind this phenomenon. First off, is everyone s speed odometer exactly the same? Not a chance. Even from the factory, our speed odometers are usually off by some amount. To check this, if you have a GPS, if you scroll through the other screens you should find a display where your speed and elevation are both displayed. Secondly, does every cruise control hold your speed at exactly the speed you set? No on this one too. Here again, for those with cruse control, go to that screen and check out the variance when you are going up a hill or down a hill. You will see slight changes in your speed that are imperceptible using just your speed odometer. Now, consider if the leader s speed odometer is off in one direction and yours if off in the opposite direction. This could lead to a difference of 2 or more miles per hour. Couple this with not every cruise control holds at exactly the speed you set. Here again, your cruise control may be more or less accurate than the leaders. Consider those that have upgraded their tires for better tires. The new tire may be slightly taller or slightly shorter than the original tire. This too leads to the speed odometer being slightly off. At 60 mph, you are traveling at 88 feet per second. At 61 mph you are traveling at 89.5 feet per second. Now, a foot and a half per second doesn t sound like much in a singular context; however, that 1.5 feet per second after only one minute equates to 90 feet in a minute. About 4 car lengths. After only 5 minutes that distance creeps up to 450 feet. That equates to a pretty good gap between you and the car in front of you. So, the next time you are in a convoy and fussing at the leader for not keeping their speed constant, think about this explanation for why you have to do 80 mph to catch up with them. Congratulations to Scott Wolf, who is now a Director/Shareholder at the law firm Blanchard, Walker, O'Quin & Roberts David Shankle has been deployed to Afghanistan until late April. Please keep David, Pam and the kids in your thoughts and prayers. Alicia and Tim Brown s daughter, Lindsay Anne, recently graduated from La Tech with a Graphic Communication Design degree and is now working in her first job at LaGrand and Associates Advertising Fred Frostic has received his well earned promotion to Colonel in the U.S. Air Force We received these thank-you messages for our generosity to our Christmas Adopt-a-families: Dear Car Club and members, Sorry it to so long for this thank you letter; my computer is out of whack and I had saved all my pictures to it so I just got it to work hopefully it will stay running till I get this out! I want each and everyone of you to know how thankful I am for your help with everything you guys have helped me with! You all are my guardian angels! It is like God look down on me and sent the car club to me and my family directly as my angels. Christmas a great day for us! I just don't know what I would do with out you all! I am so grateful for everything you all do for my family and I thank You from the bottom of my heart and soul! Thank You Sherry and Family Thanks so much to our RRCMC friends for your generosity to the Tibbit s family. We were touched that you did not hesitate when asked if you could help. In addition to the gift card, we continue to get calls offering furniture and household items for them. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to each of you. Gil & Carol Bazo

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